Freight flights take off today

Tara Miko
Reporter
Tara started with APN in 2010 after graduating with a journalism and politics degree from Griffith University in Brisbane. After two-and-a-half years working on APN papers in the Bowen Basin in Central Queensland, she joined the team at The Chronicle in February 2013. In September that year she took over the reins of the Rural Weekly.

DUBAI and Shanghai are firming as future export markets as the Darling Downs today marks the first of its regular international freight flights from Wellcamp Airport.

At least three airlines are in confidential discussions to begin operating out of the international-accredited airport following the path of Cathay Pacific which will today begin its weekly cargo service from the Darling Downs to Hong Kong.

The Cathay Pacific 747-8F will land at Wellcamp this afternoon.

Airport manager Phil Gregory it marked "exciting times" for the region and staff which underwent extensive training in recent weeks to comply with quarantine and customs requirements.

The service brings with it the creation of new jobs and expansion of existing facilities in the surrounding industrial areas.

"Every Tuesday going forward we will have a 747 landing in Toowoomba for fresh produce," he said.

"There will be more truck drivers required, and sub-contractors with equipment builds and a whole pile of other stuff.

"It's the start of many (new jobs), we think."

The flight will land in Toowoomba late this afternoon after loading cargo from Sydney and Melbourne.

Oakey Beef Exports has signed on for the first freight flight, alongside mangos from Bowen and other regional producers.

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Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise executive chairman Shane Charles said the variety of produce on board was a credit to the region and paramount to the export flights' future success.

He said the Cathay Pacific flight was nearing its capacity for the first regular service.

"It's just so exciting and is what we've been talking about for so long now with the weekly international cargo capacity taking produce fresh from the Darling Downs right into the Asian market," he said.

"But it's not just about Toowoomba.

"For Toowoomba to be successful, it's the regions around us as well."

TSBE and Food Leaders Australia have entered into close talks with three other international freight flight airlines to further boost the amount of clean, fresh and in-demand produce being flown to other markets.